Moments
by Alyssa86InMN
Summary: Little moments in Joe and Kathleen's relationship as it progresses.
1. The Moment He Tells Her

The Moment He Tells Her

Her heart fluttered. Her hands tingled with excitement. A smile grew on her lips as she kissed her former foe. Kathleen was kissing Joe Fox, Mr. F-O-X himself and she was loving it. She never felt this way with Frank. Something about kissing Joe stirred something inside her, exhilarated her soul.

Joe pulled away from her, his eyes sparkling and a contented grin on his face. "Are you surprised?" he asked, his grin turning into a look of doubt.

"I am, but you have no idea how much these last few days I've been longing for you, not NY152, but Joe Fox. I almost didn't show up here." she admitted, feeling a slight redness forming on her cheeks as she looked to the ground in embarrassment.

"Well, I'm glad you did because I wouldn't have been able to tell you this," Joe paused, lifting her chin with his finger and looking deep into her eyes, "I think I'm falling for you, Kathleen."


	2. The Moment He Lets Him Know

The Moment He Lets Him Know

Joe was looking over expense reports in his father's office when Kathleen crossed his mind. She frequently crossed his mind these days and now while he was trying to work, she was on the brain yet again, not that he was complaining.

"Joe, are you even reading those things?" his father asked from across the desk. "What's her name, son?"

Joe gained some composure and gave his dad a glare. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You have a far away look in your eyes and you are grinning at the expense reports. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Joe sighed, giving up. "Her name is Kathleen Kelly. I met her online several months ago and now we are dating."

"Kathleen Kelly, that name sounds familiar." Nelson said.

"It should, we put her children's bookstore out of business a couple of months ago." Joe said, nonchalantly, pretending to look over the reports again, hoping to drop the subject.

"And she's dating you?!" Nelson asked, incredulously.

Joe looked up from the reports again. "Yes. Remember a few weeks back we were talking about your break-up over martinis and I said something about finding the one single person who fills your heart with joy?" Joe asked. "Well, Dad, she's it for me. The moment I kissed her I knew someday she'd be wife. I just wish you could share in this happiness that I am so obviously feeling right now."

"I'm just teasing you, son. I am happy for you. I wish you the best with Kathleen."

"Now we need to work on you." Joe stated with a smirk.


	3. The Moment She Lets Them Know

The Moment She Lets Them Know

"Tea, dear?" Birdie asked.

"Yes, please." Kathleen responded, holding out her teacup in preparation.

Birdie poured some tea in the cup then into Christina's cup before taking a seat in her designated chair. "So what was it that you wanted to tell us?"

Kathleen was sipping her tea when a smile spread across her face and she set her cup down. "I'm hopelessly in love." she admitted with a slight tint to her cheeks.

"I knew something was different about you but I couldn't put my finger on it." Christina said. "Is it the email guy?" she cupped her cheek in her hand and listened in intently.

"Yes, it's the email guy."

"Who is he?" Christina asked.

"You're not going to believe this, but it's Joe Fox."

"Wait, THE Joe Fox, the one who put you out of business? The one who took your mother's store from you, your last memories of her, that Joe Fox?" Christina asked getting a little worked up.

"Well, I wouldn't have put it that way, but yes." Kathleen said, a confused, defeated look on her face, wishing this revelation had gone a little better than it had.

"How could you be in love with him of all people?" Christina asked in disbelief.

"Well, I've forgiven him. He's really a wonderful person. You just have to get past the putting us out of business bit."

Birdie, who had been sitting in silence while Christina and Kathleen exchanged words, finally asked, "but does he make you happy?"

Without hesitation Kathleen said, "More than you can ever know."

"Then that settles that, as long as you are happy." Birdie said, taking Kathleen's hand in hers.

"I still think you are crazy, but if you are happy, then I guess I am too." Christina said.


	4. The Moment She Tells Him

The Moment She Tells Him

Joe and Kathleen had been blissfully dating for merely a month when it caught Kathleen off guard. It hit her suddenly like she was run over by a poorly driven cab and it stirred something inside her that ended up bringing her to tears. She sat at her desk sucking in her breath as the tears fell. She wasn't really sure why she was crying, because after all she had never been happier in her life. She never felt this way with anyone before. She tried to calm herself down because she knew Joe was going to be coming over any minute and she didn't want to have to explain herself. A few seconds later, she heard the key in the lock and she realized she was too late. Joe opened the door while Kathleen sniffed and attempted to wipe away any evidence that she had been crying.

"I hope you're in the mood for Chinese." Joe called, setting the food on the dining table.

Kathleen got up from her chair and padded her way into the living room/dining room. "Chinese sounds great." she said, making her way into the kitchen for some plates and silverware, trying to hide her face until any sign of her tears were gone.

"Is something the matter?" Joe asked, noticing how Kathleen was acting.

"Everything's great." she responded in a pitch that Joe noticed was off.

Joe followed her into the kitchen, "Are you going to tell me what is really going on or am I going to have to go to extreme measures to get it out of you?" he asked leaning against the counter opposite to the one she was standing at with her back to him.

"It's nothing, I just I had a little revelation about us today and it caught me off guard and I reacted in a way I didn't think I would." Kathleen said, her back still facing him as she reached for some plates from the cabinet.

"What was the revelation?"

Kathleen turned to face him, her palms on the edge of the counter. "I just realized that I can't imagine my life without you and the thought of my life without you upsets me more than you can even fathom."

Joe gazed into her eyes, full of vulnerability, smiled an endearing, eye crinkling grin as he took a few steps closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her body, drawing her close to him in an embrace. "Kathleen, you know I love you, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I feel the same way about you. A life without you would be..." Joe paused as he pulled away from her briefly to look at her, "...unbearable."


	5. The Moment He Asks Her

The Moment He Asks Her

Kathleen awoke one August morning curled into the side of Joe Fox, her boyfriend of three months. She had her head on his chest and an arm around his torso while his right arm was wrapped around her back. Joe began to stir as Kathleen moved from her position on the bed to check the time. Joe groaned and popped open his eyes. He looked over to Kathleen who had the alarm clock in her hands.

"Good morning, honey." he said, rolling onto his side to face her as she set the clock back on the night stand.

Kathleen turned to him and smiled, "hi, sweetie. Sleep well?" she asked.

"I always sleep better when I'm with you and also when I'm in an actual bed instead of the boat couch I've been using the last few months."

"I don't understand why you won't get your own place." Kathleen stated.

"Because, I've been waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"For you and the right moment." Joe admitted with a smirk. Kathleen had a perplexed look on her face that Joe took as a cue to finish what he was saying. "I've been thinking about us moving in together. What do you think? We could get a new place we can call our own." Joe said expectantly.

"But Joe, we've only been dating for three months. Don't you think that is a little sudden?"

"I've known since the moment we first kissed that I was going to marry you, so moving in together is really the next step before I ask an even bigger question." Kathleen's eyes grew big. "I'm not proposing now, honey, don't worry. I know you're not ready, but know that it's coming at some point, whether that be next week or next year, I don't know." Joe paused as he watched Kathleen's face change emotions. "What do you think?" he finally asked.

Kathleen breathed in slowly and let it out in a sigh. "Well, I'd be lying if I said the thought never crossed my mind and I do see us having a future together, so I guess my answer is yes, let's move in together." They both had giant grins on their face as Joe leaned over and kissed Kathleen on the lips. "I love you." she said when they broke apart.


End file.
